– By Cate Marquis –
Albion Theater’s “The Wasp” is a two-hander blends drama and dark humor in an exploration of the linger after-effects of bullying, revenge and a blurring of lines between victim and victimizer. The Albion’s production is the St. Louis premier of this gripping, high-octane drama, which debuted in London in 2015, where it became a hit for Morgan Lloyd, its Olivier Award-winning playwright who is known for her skill in combining powerful drama and social commentary, and for her fearless feminist storytelling. The play is directed by Robert Ashton, the Artistic Director of Albion, which aims to bring works by British and Irish authors to St. Louis audiences.
The play opens with two women, Carla (Macia Noorman) and Heather (Ricki Franklin), who went to the same school as girls, meeting in a coffee shop in the south of England, a meeting arranged by Heather. In grade school, the two had been friends but that changed in high school, as Carla ascended as a queen bee, one with a taste for cruelty and with Heather as a frequent target. But Carla’s queen bee days are long and the past, and now she is struggling financially while Heather lives a life of comfort and prosperity. Carla thinks little about their shared past but those days left a mark on Heather, who as arranged for this meeting.
What Heather wants from Carla all this time later is a central question in this smart, sharp-tongued drama. Although Heather’s stable family was always better-off financially than Carla’s more broken (and broke) one when the girls were in high school, Carla’s bullying and targeting of Heather left her socially isolated and with enduring emotional scars, despite adult Heather’s present prosperity and higher social standing. One thing Heather is seeking is to put the demons of the past behind her, and her hurt at friendship betrayed. An apology from Carla would be a step towards that. Carla, on the other hand, claims not to remember much from those days – either the friendship or the bullying – and sees little reason for an apology. After all, it was high school, for chrissakes!
But there is still more going on here, as we soon learn as the women talk. Carla is heavily pregnant and has several children at home already. She does have a husband but he is of little help on any front, financially or otherwise. Heather is also married, but she and her husband have been unable to have a child.
This is a British play, set in south England, so the dialog reflects that setting. The play’s program includes a few helpful vocabulary hints for those less familiar with terms like “nappies” for diapers, “fags” for cigarettes, or that Morrison’s is a cheap supermarket where Heather would be unlikely to ever shop..
The women’s past and their present situations set things in motion but wild twists and complications are in store for the audience as the plot unfolds. Things escalate as Heather’s plan comes to the fore.
Sharp, pull-no-punches dialog combines with dark humor moments and playwright Malcolm’s clever plot, but all is brought to a fever-pitch by this impressive cast. Ricki Franklin as Heather and Macia Noorman as Carla engage in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse, with the power tables turned from high school but basic personalities still intact. Carla’s domineering personality still surfaces, as does Heather’s tendency for internalizing hurt. This is ensemble acting at its best, with the two trading verbal blows in a vastly entertaining, and at times frightening, drama.
All these fireworks take place on a well-designed set created by Rob Lippert, which is a perfect space for this battle. Lighting designer Kara Grimm-Denholm adds the right touch along with sound design by Leonard Marshall. Fight choreographer Mo Moellering keeps things wild in perfect fashion.
All the stars align in this electrifying, edge-of-your-seat drama stoked by social commentary on the legacy of childhood bullying and laced with dark humor and irony, a production that brings in a strong cast, sure-handed direction by Robert Ashton that keeps everything burning brightly, and the perfect setting and theatrical elements for all that to take place. In a season filled with musical silliness and light comedy, this drama combining entertainment and thought-provoking commentary is a theatrical treat to savor.
Albion Theater’s “The Wasp” is on stage at the Kranzberg Black Box Theater through June 28, 2026.
© Cate Marquis
